Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves
by Dis Lexic
Summary: Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!
1. Prologue

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **So, I had this idea at work. Originally, I planned for the MC to just Trigger with a Persona, but then I had an even better idea. What is it? Well, I can guarantee that I won't be following the standard Cliches here! For one thing, Taylor's role will be relatively small. With that in mind, enjoy!**

Prologue

Sometimes, its hard to believe that something's going on, even if you know for a fact your not dreaming. I'd felt like that before, namly when I woke up after dying to find myself as a baby again. Yeah, kinda hard to believe, right? Even more so when you consider that I've been reborn into a world crawling with traumatized people with superpowers, had a glowing, golden man flying around helping people and regularly suffered attacks from giant, unkillable monsters.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be born in a place with few Capes and no juicy targets for any of the roving bands of loonies to attack. Unfortunately, my Parents apparently kept a lot from me, including the fact that their marriage was on the rocks, right up until there was a massive blow up that ended with Mum storming out and divorce papers making appearances. That leads me to now, sitting on a bus on my way to my Aunt and Uncle's house to stay with them while everything got sorted out. Seeing as this is a Worm story, guess where they live? I groaned as the bus drove past the irritatingly cheery 'WELCOME TO BROCKTON BAY!' sign that was surprisingly unmarred by Graffiti.

* * *

It took another half an hour to reach the bus station where I grabbed my bag and got of the bus. I glanced around and quickly spotted my Uncle, a tall, slightly stooped man with slicked back hair and a chinstrap beard and goatee. I waved and made my way over to him.

"Hey Uncle Ron," I said as I approached.

"Hey kiddo," said Ron, ruffling my already frizzy hair and making me scowl, "You've certainly grown since I last saw you."

"I'd hope so since I was about six," I muttered.

Ron winced.

"Yeah, sorry kid," he said as he led the way to his car, "I know it can't be easy, knowing your gonna be living with what are essentially strangers for a year. And this stuff with your Parents certainly won't help."

I sighed.  
"I'll manage," I said.

"Good lad."

* * *

The drive to Uncle's house was made in silence. He, along with his wife and Son, lived on the edge of the good and bad parts of town. He ran a small, out of the way cafe called LaBlanc that was famous for excellent coffee and even better curry of all things. The Cafe itself was only a small part of the building and the rest of it was actually the family's home. Uncle Ron pulled the car up in the driveway and got out, grabbing my bags from the boot and leading the way inside.

"Sharron, Greg, we're home!" he called as I entered after him.

At his shout, Aunt Sharron, a large, motherly woman came bustling out of the kitchen with flour on her hands. The moment she saw me, she hurried over and pulled me into a hug. I blinked, not expecting that in the slightest.

"Oh, you poor dear!" she said, "I can't imagine what you must be going through right now!"

"Err…"

She released me and turned to glare up the stairs.

"GREG!"

"Coming Mom!"

A moment later, my Cousin appeared at the top of the stairs and came stumping down. He was shorter than me, with short, blonde hair spiked up with a heavy amount of gell and brown eyes. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a comic style star symbol and the word 'ZOMG!' on the front, a pair of jogging bottoms with the bottoms rolled up and no shoes or socks. At the sight of me, he paused and raised an eyebrow.

"Greg, do you remember Cousin Andrew?" said Sharron, "You met him at Grandma's 80th."

"Ehh, not really," said Greg.

"Well, we were only six," I said, "Nice to...meet you I guess would be the best thing to say."

"I hope you two can get along," said Uncle Ron, "Andrew's going to be here for a while."

"How long?" asked Greg.

"About a year most likely," said Ron.

"Things back home are a little...volatile at the moment," I said.

An awkward silence fell over the hall.

"Well, lets show you where you'll be sleeping," said Ron, grabbing one of my bags.

I grabbed the other and followed him upstairs and into a room that was situated above the cafe. I'm pretty sure it had been a storeroom until recently, but it was clean and had a comfortable looking bed, a side table and a desk and chair set up.

"I know its not much, but it was the best we could do at such short notice," said Ron.

"Its fine," I said, sitting down on the bed, "Thanks."

Ron hesitated for a moment, before nodding and leaving me alone. I sighed and lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling without really seeing it. Well, here I was. Now, just what did the ROB who stuck me here have in mind for me? I didn't have much time to think on it however as the fatigue of traveling such a long way crept up on me and my eyes fluttered shut. The last thing I saw was a blue butterfly landing on the window outside.

* * *

"Ahhh, a new guest."

My eyes snapped open at the unexpected voice, but before I could shoot to my feet, my mind registered what was sat across the table from me and I froze in complete disbelief. I found myself sitting in a comfortable armchair, bound in blue velvet, before a fireplace made of black marble with pale blue flames flickering in the grate. A look around the room revealed that I was in what appeared to be a large drawing room of some kind. It was painted dark blue, with a blue and black patterned carpet. The windows were covered in blue velvet curtains. Sat in an armchair across a small coffee table from me was a little old man with bulging eyes and a very long nose, while a woman stood at his shoulder.

The woman was tall, pale skinned and rather pretty, with shoulder length, blonde hair and yellow eyes. She was wearing a tailored, dark blue suit with a white undershirt and a matching fedora and was carrying a large book under one arm.

"Welcome, to the Velvet room," said Igor, "I'm sure I don't need to introduce myself, but I shall anyway. I am Igor and this is my assistant, Fortuna."

"It is a pleasure to meet you at last Master," said Fortuna with a bow, "I admit, I was beginning to worry that we would have to resort to my Waking selfs Path to Victory after all."

"Errr," was my only response.

Seriously, what else could I say.

"Don't worry, you are simply here in a dream," said Fortuna, "Your body is still in your bed, safe and sound."

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance," said Igor, "This place exists between Dreams and Reality, Mind and Matter. It is a room only those bound by a Contract may enter."

"Um, I don't remember making a contract," I said.

"Perhaps not, but the fact remains that a Contract has been made," said Igor.

I sighed. Guess I'm not getting out of this. I lent forwards in my chair.

"Alright, so whats this about?" I asked.

"The world outside is rotten," said Igor, "So many lives have been lost, so much suffering wrought by the monsters that now threaten the Earth."

"Wait, you mean you want me to fight the Entities?!" I spluttered.

"Of course not, that would be suicide," said Fortuna, "No, we wish for you to get stronger than anyone else and then crush their Champion."

"Oh, so fighting Scion will be so much easier," I grumbled, "Isn't he immune to powers?"

"Powers sourced from the Entities, maybe, but the power of a Persona comes from your Heart," said Igor.

"We will not force you of course," said Fortuna, "But your refusal will force the hands of those with far more dangerous plans. Plans that will lead to far more suffering than is necessary."

I flinched. Good god, these two were good at guilt tripping.

"Worry not, we do not expect you to fight this battle alone," said Igor, "You will have comrades to aid you in battle. However, for now, you should return to sleep. We will see each other again, in time."

I opened my mouth to protest the abrupt dismissal, but before I could, the world blurred and went black.

 **Right, so this is a tad short, but its the prologue, what do you expect? Future chapters will probably be longer.**

 **I'm not entirely sure what the relationship between Fortuna and Contessa is at the moment, but they are linked. And isn't that a scary thought? Still, at least she can see what the best options for Fusions will be in the future!**

 **Yes, Andrew's cousin is Greg Veder, although he is a little different than in Canon. You might be able to guess what his role will be. I wonder if you can guess who I plan to use as Panther? Or hell, even the rest of the team? Morgana's not changing though.**

 **Oh yeah, I probably should have mentioned that most of this will be based on P5, although Igor is Igor and not an evil cup in disguise.**

 **Timeline wise, it starts at about the same time as Worm, so Taylors already got her powers and is planning to go out VERY soon.**

 **Personas and Parahuman abilities are completely different and aren't linked in anyway. That said, you can't use a Persona in the Real World (obvs) and Parahumans can't use their powers in the Cognitive World. Of course, Shadow's generally possess an approximation of their powers. That comment might serve as a clue to some of the future targets for the Thieves.**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna sign off now. Next chapter will be the start of the Hunter arc. Until then, don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. Hunter 101

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **And here we go with the first chapter of Hunter! Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Hunter 1.01

It had been two days since my entrance into the Velvet Room and I had mostly put it out of my mind for now, although the stupid App that kept popping up on my phone wasn't really helping matters. The day after my arrival, Uncle Ron had taken me to get enrolled at school (Winslow, of course) and now I found myself outside in the rain as I waited for Greg to grab something he'd forgotten so he could show me the way to school. Thankfully, the cafe had an awning out front, so I wasn't getting soaked. Instead, I was glaring down at my phone, wishing with all my heart that the stupid app would just disappear. Unfortunately, it probably responded to my deeper subconscious and I just knew that theres no way that would turn down the chance to have a Persona, even if that did mean fighting something like Scion. Stupid nerd nature!

I was distracted from trying to melt my phone with my eyes when a girl ran under the cover out of the rain. She was tall and visibly curvy under her white hoodie and red tights. Now out of the rain, she pushed her hood down to reveal a pretty face, a head of red hair and dark gray eyes. Huh...something about all that seemed familiar…

The girl seemed to sense my gaze and looked up. Our eyes met and she smiled slightly, before turning her attention back outside.

"Hey!"

We both turned at the call to see a dark skinned girl across the road with a umbrella. I couldn't see many details from this distance, but she waved and the girl next to me waved back. I glanced at her and frowned slightly. Her wave was enthusiastic enough, but the look on her face was one of barely hidden resignation. Hmm, interesting…

The redhead flipped her hood up and quickly crossed the street to join her friend and they both headed in the direction I'm pretty sure Winslow was in. I frowned deeper. Something about all this was rubbing me the wrong way…

I didn't get much chance to think about it though as Greg chose that moment to join me and we headed off. As we walked, I asked about anything I needed to know about the school and its inevitable cliques. Greg snorted.

"Andrew, the only thing you need to know is to not piss of Sophia Hess and her 'friends'," he said, "Seriously man, the girls brutal. Anyone she deems as weak ends up having their social life flushed down the toilet."

"So, shes the queen bee?" I asked.

"More like Alpha Lioness," said Greg, "Shes a bitch of the highest order and I'm pretty sure she considers herself to be the predator and everyone else either pray or packmates. The school is just her hunting ground as it were."

I absently noticed my phone ping, but ignored it for now.

"Anything else?" I asked.

Greg winced.

"Yeah, but you might not like it," he said, "Hess' faverote target is a girl called Taylor. Shes...nice enough, if a little shy, but those bitches are relentless. A couple months ago, they shoved her in her locker after filling it with all sorts of nasty shit."

I winced. Damn, I was kinda hoping I could prevent that. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk.

"Why doesn't someone do something?" I asked.

Greg snorted.

"Are you joking?" he growled, "The most popular girl in school and the star of the Track Team vs the unattractive loner no one likes? Who do you think wins?"

I scowled. Fucking brats.

"Anyway, just keep your head down and you'll be fine," said Greg, "We'll be...there...soo...what the hell?!"

We'd just rounded the corner to find what looked like a large, wooden palisade made of sharpened tree trunks driven into the ground instead of a school. I stared at the unexpected sight for a moment, before my eyes darted up. Sure enough, the sky was a swirling mass of red and black. Well shit, looks like my adventures already underway.

"What the fuck is going on?" asked Greg, staring up at the wooden wall in disbelief, "The school should be right here!"

He looked around.

"Is this some Cape shit?" he muttered, "God I hope not."

"Um, not to interrupt your breakdown, but what should we do?" I asked.

Greg took a deep breath and shook himself. Hard.

"I guess...we go in and see whats going on," he said.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," I muttered, but followed him in anyway.

Inside the compound was another large wall, creating a double stacked layer of defence and an area that would likely serve as my point of entry and exit once my heist got underway. I ignored that for now however as I followed Greg into the next part of the compound. This time, we found ourselves in what looked like a village square, surrounded by more walls that I'm pretty sure were set up in such a way to roughly mimic the layout of the school. There was also an uncomfortably large number of skulls stuck on wooden spikes or stuck to the walls by crossbow bolts. I blinked and, just as my eyes closed, I caught a glimpse of the schools entrance hall in reality.

"This is so weird," said Greg, "It said Winslow on the gate, right?"

"Looked like it," I said.

"This is so fucking weird," said Greg again.

"You've said that," I said as I tilted my head on one side, "I think I can hear someone coming…"

I was proven right a moment later as a gate suddenly slammed open and a person clad in hides with a wooden mask over his face came charging in. At the sight of us, the Shadow froze for a moment, before he let out an ear piercing howl. The sound stabbed at my eardrums, forcing me to clap my hands over my ears as, next to me, Greg did the same. A moment later, the sound petered out, before multiple other howls answered and a number of other Shadows came bounding through the gates to surround us, aiming the spears and bows they carried at us.

"WHOA, what the hell!?" yelled Greg as one of the spears jabbed him in the side, "Be careful with that thing!"

He missed the Shadow that jumped him from behind and smacked him over the head with a club. A moment later, my vision turned white as a Shadow hit me as well.

* * *

 **Its nearly time.**

* * *

I'm not sure how long I was out, but I eventually came to with a pounding head and the feeling of dried blood matting my hair. Lovely. I sat up and looked around. I was locked inside a solid wooden cage, surrounded by thick, wooden walls and a dirt floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Greg when he noticed I was awake.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "Any idea whats going on?"

"Not a one," said Greg, "But I can tell you one thing, something seriously messed ups going on here!"

"Really, I couldn't tell," I deadpanned.

Greg ignored me and started shaking the door, creating a loud rattling sound.

"HEY, I KNOW SOMEONES THERE!" he yelled, "LET US OUT!"

No one answered, not that I was expecting them to.

"Arrr, fuck!" snarled Greg, "Where are we?!"

"ARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

We both jumped at the sudden scream.

"What the fuck was that?!" gasped Greg as we ran to the bars.

We listened in silent horror as the scream turned to sobbing and agonized begging, before it was abruptly cut off by a loud splat.

"Oh god oh god oh god!" whimpered Greg, "We've got to get out of here!"

He looked desperately around the cage, but there wasn't even a bed.

"Someones coming," I hissed as my ears picked up the sound of muffled chanting approaching.

Greg stopped his frantic search and we turned to the bars as a group of Shadows arrived.

" **New Pray, new Pray!"** they hissed, **"Fun to kill, good to eat!"**

"WHAT?!" spluttered Greg.

" **The only thing Pray is good for is eating,"** said a distorted, but still feminine voice.

The crowd of Shadows parted, allowing the Palaces owner to walk forwards. She was clad in black leathers and a hooded cloak that was pattened in such a way that she'd be able to move unseen through the foliage. Strapped to her back was a large crossbow and a quiver of bolts. Her hair was black and pulled into countless thin braids, each bound with a piece of bone or a tooth that stood out white against her chocolate skin, as did her yellow eyes.

"Wait a sec," muttered Greg, "Is that you Sophia?"

My eyebrows shot up and I ruthlessly stomped on the urge to grin like a madman. Fuck caution, I am SO stealing this bitches Treasure! It'll be sooooo satisfying to stomp all over her Shadow and then march out of this twisted hunting ground with her Treasure, even more so than with Kamoshida!

Shadow Sophia's lip curled into a sneer as she eyed us, looking us up and down as if judging prize meat at a butcher.

" **Tch, I thought I finally had some decent pray, but its just a couple of mice,"** she sneered, **"What, did you think bringing a friend would help you win Veger?"**

She scoffed.

" **Please, your nothing and always will be, no matter how many rodents you gather to you."**

"Hey, now thats going to far!" snapped Greg, stepping towards the Shadow before I could stop him.

The Shadows eyes narrowed, before her hand snapped up, backhanding Greg across the cell to hit the wall with a thump.

" **Learn your place rodent,"** she hissed as she pulled her crossbow off her back and aiming at Greg's head

I moved before properly thinking about it, grabbing my cousin by the collar and yanking him out of the way, just barely managing before the bolt slammed into the wall. Shadow Sophia tilted her head to stare at me.

" **So, you do have some fight in you,"** she said, **"Maybe you'll be worth something after all…"**

She twitched her fingers and, before I could react, the Shadows around her surged forwards and grabbed me by the arms and legs.

" **Take that one to the Hunting Grounds,"** she said, **"As for the other, kill him."**

The Shadows started jabbering in excitement as they closed in on Greg, who was pretty much completely frozen in terror.

"NO!" I shouted, struggling against the grip of the Shadows holding me.

" **Oh don't worry Pray,"** said Shadow Sophia, **"You'll be joining him soon enough."**

I could only watch in horror as her face twisted into a look of demented ecstasy as she lifted her crossbow.

 **This is truly an unjust game…**

 **Your chances of winning are almost none.**

My eyes went wide at the sudden and unexpected voice in my head as a blue, glass-like butterfly fluttered past me.

 **But if my voice is reaching you,**

 **There may yet be a possibility open to you.**

"Wha…"

 ** _"What's the matter...?"_** I froze as another voice suddenly echoed through my head, making my very bones vibrate as an intense heat began to build in my chest, **_"Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?"_**

Unbidden, my mind went back to the moment I realized I was in the Worm-verse and decided that I would do whatever I could to try and prevent some of the horrors to come.

" _FUCK NO!"_ I roared in my head.

Instantly, the heat in my chest shot out, setting my body alite from the inside. I started thrashing in the Shadows grip, unable to properly scream as my vocal cords seemed to have frozen.

 ** _"Very well...I have heeded your resolve,"_** said the voice as the burning ramped up, ** _"Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I...Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"_**

The burning erupted like a volcano and transformed from agony into cold resolve and focus as the power settled within my soul. Good god, it might hurt to get it, but this power feels so damn GOOD!

" **Time to take out the trash!"** roared Shadow Sophia as she pointed her reloaded crossbow at Greg.

"THATS ENOUGH!" I yelled.

Something in my voice made the Shadow twitch and slowly turn to look back at me.

" **What was that?"** sneered Shadow Sophia, **"You want to die that badly huh? Fine."**

She indicated to the Shadows holding me and they yanked my arms out, holding me against the wall like a target.

" **I really wanted to hunt you properly, but you've become annoying,"** said Shadow Sophia as she aimed at my heart, **"Sayanora."**

Her fingers tightened on the trigger, but before she could fire, a blast of wind shot off me, knocking my captors back and forcing the Shadow Ward to shield her eyes. I remained still for a moment, before I hesitantly reached up and felt the mask that now covered my face. Ohh, this was going to hurt. I dug my fingers under the mask and, sure enough, it hurt like a bitch. However, I had another bitch to kill, so I ignored the pain and kept pulling until the mask was wrenched off my face in a shower of blood. I felt the power inside me surge and a wide grin slid across my face as I slowly looked up and met Shadow Sophia's eyes as the fire in my Soul poured out, covering my body as my Persona manifested for the first time. Clad in red and black with a white cravate, horns, black and red feathered wings and an eerie face that appeared as glowing red shapes on a black background, Arsene, the Phantom Thief, made his appearance with a mocking laugh. This was gonna be FUN!

 **And done. Well, that was fun. I'm probably gonna get some flack for just recycling the Persona from the original, but this is what I had planned from the start. Skull, Panther, Mona and Oracle will have the same Persona as well, but since the canon Arcana won't fit the others, I'll be creating some original ones for them. Plus, all the bosses and Palaces will be original.**

 **Is anyone surprised I decided to use Sophia as their first target? I mean, shes practically gift wrapped for me! Hehe, this might actually give some insight as to who Panther is...if the interaction in the rain didn't already do that.**

 **I might be exaggerating Sophia's obsession with hunting here, but remember that this is entirely subconscious. This is her completely unfettered by whatever morals are left in that fucked up head of hers.**

 **On an unrelated note, my word processor seems to think I mean 'wanking' instead of 'yanking'. Not entirely sure where that came from and I don't really want to either.**

 **Anyway, its time for me to sign off. I really, REALLY want to continue this, if only to get to the end of Hunter, but before I do that, I've gotta clean up that cliffhanger over on HH. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	3. Hunter 102

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **And here we go with the next chapter of Hunter! Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Hunter 1.02

I couldn't stop the maniacal laugh that bubbled up in my chest at the look of complete and utter shock on Shadow Sophia's face at the sight of Arsene and my transformation and I could feel my Persona's amusement rolling deep within my Soul.

" _ **Ohhh, I really like you kid!"**_ said Arsene, his voice echoing in my Soul, _**"Its probably not needed, but I have to ask. Are you ready to fight and take what you will?"**_

" _Of course,"_ I thought.

" _ **Goooood,"**_ purred the Phantom Thief.

" **Tch, you think a change of clothes and some weak looking minion will help you?"** sneered the Shadow, shaking off her shock and replacing it with a sneer, **"It'll only delay your Deaths! Kill him and hes all yours!"**

The lesser Shadows chartered eagally, before their bodies dissolved and reformed into a pair of Crypt-dwelling Phantoms that immediately charged towards me. I tensed, lowering my center of gravity as I gripped the knife that was hidden beneath my coat.

" _ **Detest the enemies before you!"**_ hissed Arsene in my ear, _**"Change that animosity into power...and unleash it!"**_

I smirked and reached into my Soul, feeling the powers Arsene had at his disposal and pulling them forth.

"Eiha!" I breathed.

Arsene spread is wings and black energy shot out, engulfing one of the monsters as I charged the other, ducking under its clumsy swing and burying my knife in its pumpkin head. Since this wasn't a game, the blade carved through it and the Shadow imploded as I jumped away. The other one tried to hit me from behind, but Arsene slammed his hands into it before it could, smashing its head against the ground. The Shadow faded, followed by my Persona as my mask reformed on my face.

"W-what the hell was that?!" gasped Greg, his eyes wide.

I ignored him for now as I examined my new outfit. It didn't take me long to realize it, like Arsene, was identical to the Protagonist. Fitting considering I was basically identical myself, right down to wearing fake glasses to make me seem less of a threat. What? I don't like being bothered and very few people even look twice at the skinny, bespectacled kid sitting quietly in the corner. And those that did try to start something had a tendency to regret it.

" **You damn RODENT!"** roared Shadow Sophia, snapping me out of my introspection as she lifted her crossbow.

Before she could fire, Greg jumped up and shoulder charged her, sending her crashing into the wall.

"COME ON, LETS GO!" he yelled.

"Lock the cage!" I shouted as I snatched up the keys one of the Shadows had dropped and Sophia's crossbow on my way out.

"Good idea!" said Greg, catching the keys as I tossed them to him.

I didn't think it'd hold her for long, but it'd be a help.

" **YOU FUCKING BRATS!"** roared Shadow Sophia as she surged to her feet, her hands grasping through the bars for her weapon or the keys, **"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"**

"Hey, what was that just now?!" demanded Greg, ignoring the struggling Shadow, "And...your clothes…"

At that moment, my outfit decided to change back to normal.

"H-hey, it changed back!" he gasped, "Y-your not a Cape, are you?"

"Not that I'm aware of," I said as I eyed S-Sophia.

Why hasn't she phased out? I doubted she was interested in hiding her identity, Shadows tended to not be that subtle. Still, if it kept her in there, I wasn't about to complain.

" **YOU BASTARDS!"** roared S-Sophia as she slammed into the cage door again.

"This is fucking nuts!" groaned Greg, "Come on, lets scram!"

"Good idea," I said and we did just that, tossing the keys and crossbow away as we did.

We ignored the Shadow's yells as we ran through the tribal themed Palace in search of the exit. Unfortunately, all we found was empty cells, dead ends and locked doors.

"Arrrr, god damn it!" growled Greg as he kicked on of said dead ends, "This place is like a fucking maze!"

"Hey, you there!"

We both jumped at the unexpected voice.

"Blonde, frizzy hair, over here!"

We turned to the source of the voice and I had to resist the urge to grin at the sight of Morgana. I admit, I was a little worried that the little feline wouldn't be making an appearance, but it looked like my worries were unfounded.

"AHHH, what is that?!" yelped Greg.

"Hey, your not Hunters, right?" he asked, "Come on, get me out of here! The keys right over there!"

"We're trying to get out too!" said Greg as I moved over to grab the key, "And how do we know your not with them?"

"I'm locked up in here so how can I be your enemy?!" demanded Morgana.

"He has a point," I said as I unlocked the cage.

"Are you crazy?!" spluttered Greg.

"No, why do you ask?"

Greg gaped at me for a moment, before the sound of running feet drew his attention.

"Crap, they've already caught up!" he moaned, "Damn it, we need to get out of here!"

"I know the way out!" said Morgana.

"You do?" said Greg.

"Yes, and since you helped me, I'll help you," said the cat, "Come on!"

"You'd better not be pulling our chain cat," growled Greg.

"HEY, I am not a cat!" snapped Morgana, "I'm Morgana!"

"Ladies, enough," I said, "Lets save the fighting until we're out of here!"

"Fine, whatever," growled Greg.

"Follow me and stay quite," said Morgana, leading the way down the path.

We hadn't gone far before a gate opened and a couple of Hunters emerged.

"OHHH SHIT, ITS THEM!" yelped Greg, stumbling back and tripping over his own feet as my clothes changed again.

"Oh, move it amature!" snapped Morgana as he vaulted over Greg, "Hey, you can fight, right?"

"Yep, sure can," I said, drawing my knife.

"Great, now come, **ZORRO!"**

There was a flash of light and Morgana's Persona appeared in all his glory.

"Holy shit, you've got one of those things to?!" spluttered Greg.

The Hunters chattered and dissolved, reforming into a floating pumpkin and a...oh god, that is SO not suitable for all ages!

"Heh, we will promptly shut them up!" said Morgana as he drew his sword.

The Shadows bristled at that and moved so they were between us and the corridor.

"Tch, they've taken up intercept positions," said Morgana, "That means that they won't be holding anything back in trying to kill us."

"K-kill?!" whimpered Greg.

"That just means we won't be able to hold back either," I said with a grin.

Morgana shot me a look and a toothy grin.

"Ohh, I like you frizzy hair!" he said.

"Glad to here it," I said, "Now, lets kick some arse! **Arsene!"**

My Persona appeared and fired a Eiha at the Bedside Brute as Morgana fired of a Garu at the Crypt-dwelling Phantom, knocking it out of the air.

"Try targeting their weaknesses to knock them off balance!" shouted Morgana as he drove his sword into the Jack-o-lantern, causing the Shadow to dissolve.

"Easier said than done," I grumbled as I dodged a swipe from the Shadows...horn.

I retaliated with an uppercut that carved a deep gash in the Shadows face, before Arsene appeared and cleaved it in half with his own dagger.

"Well, that was a thing," I said.

Morgana snickered.

"Ohh, I definitely like you kid!" he said, "Your Persona's pretty powerful to."

I grinned and fistbumped Arsene before he vanished.

"Persona?" asked Greg, "Is that that thing that appears? Is it a Cape ability?"

"No, we're not Capes," said Morgana patently, "Neither I nor Frizzy Hair have any powers in the real world. You know how he removed his mask to summon it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, everyone wears a mask deep in their heart," said Morgana, "By removing that, its possible to call upon…"

He was interrupted by my clothing changing back to normal with a flash.

"Hey, your clothes changed again!" said Greg.

"Hmm, it doesn't look like you have full control yet," said Morgana, "The transformation shouldn't have just vanished like that…"

"Urrg, this is getting confusing grumbled Greg.

"Hey, can't you listen for once blonde?!" yelled Morgana, looking rather peeved.

"Um, could you save the lectures for later?" I asked.

"Good idea," said Morgana, "Come on, its not far now!"

We followed the cat through the twisting paths that made up the Palace, passing more cages as we did. Most were empty, but we eventually found one that was occupied.

"Wait a sec!" called Greg as he skidded to a stop.

"What is it?" asked Morgana, "We need to hurry!"

"I...I think I know this guy!" said Greg.

I crouched down for a closer look. He looked about our age and was clearly a member of the E88 if the tattoo on his shoulder was anything to go by.

"Yeah, hes in my English class," said Greg, "Whats he doing here though?"

"You really want to risk your life for a racist thug?" asked Morgana.

Greg snorted.

"Not a chance," he said, "But still…"

"Look, I'll explain it later," said Morgana, "For now, we've got to go!"

Greg nodded and we booked it.

* * *

It didn't take us long to get back to the surface and we emerged into the Village square. Morgana darted across into another enclosed area with a couple of gates.

"We're here," he said.

"Oh thank god!" said Greg and ran over to one of the gates.

It turned out to be locked.

"Um, Greg?" I said as I opened the other one, "I think he meant this one."

"Oh...right," said Greg, looking sheepish as he quickly joined us.

It looked like a storage area of some kind, although there was no obvious exits.

"Hey, whats the big idea?" growled Greg, "How are we supposed to get out from here?"

"Probably through this," I said as I shoved a bush aside, revealing a hole dug under the fence.

"Exactly right," said Morgana, "I knew you were a natural at this!"

"Thanks, I think," I said.

"Come on, lets go!" said Greg, "Oh, we're finally gonna get out of this freaky place!"

"You should hold off on celebrating until you're actually out," said Morgana, "Now go on, get going!"

"Wait, what about you?" asked Greg.

"Theres still something I've got to do," said Morgana, "We're going our separate ways for now."

"Thanks for the help Morgana," I said, "And if you ever need any help, try looking me up."

I grinned.

"Other than the imminent threat of death, this has been a fun morning!"

"Seriously dude, you are crazy!" said Greg.

"Heh, yes, I really do like you kid!" said Morgana, "See ya!"

We nodded and crawled through the gap to freedom. Almost immediately, the world went weird and we found ourselves stood outside of the school gates, gasping for breath.

"Did we make it?" groaned Greg.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out.

" **You have returned to the real world!"** said the Apps announcer in a disgustingly cheerful voice.

"Huh? Returned?" asked Greg, "So...we're out?"

"Apparently so," I said.

"Heh, I don't know what to think any more," groaned Greg, "What was up with that cat, Hess and that weird place?"

"Hell if I know," I said, "But we should probably get going."

"Why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure we're late for school," I said, pointing at a nearby clock on a bus stop.

Greg snorted.

"Like they'll care," he muttered.

I winced. Oh yeah, Winslow. The only thing they cared about was keeping their pet Ward happy. I resisted the urge to grin like the Joker. Well, I'd put a stop to that VERY soon. Heh, I wonder what her treasure will be?

 **And that'll do. Next time, a bit in the outside world, meeting Sophia in real life, a third teammate and a meeting with Skitter. That said, she won't have a big role until the second, possibly fourth target and thats only because of who they'll be going after. She will NOT be joining the Thieves.**

 **I'm obviously not going to be covering every bit of the Palace and the fights will be more organic than turn based battles since, you know, real life. The strengths and weaknesses of the Shadows still apply though.**

 **Speaking of Shadows, I need some suggestions for what Sophia's treasure could be. I have a few ideas, but I'd kinda like to have it be something they can sell for a fair amount of money.**

 **Oh, and while I'm asking questions, does anyone know if theres something I can use to make PHO segments easier? I obviously need to have people panicking over the Thieves doing their thing online but I really can't be arsed to do it all by hand.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	4. Hunter 103

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **And here we go with the next chapter of Hunter! Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Hunter 1.03

Fortunately, it seemed that we'd arrived back in the Real World just in time for lunch, so we were able to join the crowds of kids rushing out of classrooms in search of food. For me though, my first job was finding my locker, which Greg was nice enough to show me to.

"Fucking hell, this school is shit!" I snarled as I punched the locker in frustration.

"That it is," said Greg, "Most of the lockers here are like that. They need a good pull to get them open."

I growled under my breath as I put in my code again and wrenched it open, revealing that the hinges were rusty.

"Bloody hell, thats fucking dreadful," I grumbled, "Remind me to pick up some oil later."

"Get enough so we can do mine to," said Greg.

I grunted and emptied my bag of the many heavy books I'd been given the previous day and stowing them in my locker.

"Right, lunch?" I said.

"This way."

We turned to head to the lunch room, but before we could go to far, someone bumped into me. Now, I'm a rather thin person, but my Dad had made it a point to ensure I kept fit, so I was a lot tougher than I looked. The person who had bumped into me on the other hand was a lightweight and thus, went flying.

"Whoops, sorry about that," I said, "Are you O...K?"

I trailed off when I saw just who it was that had run into me. Tall and gangly, with large eyes, a wide mouth and glasses and her clothes and hair soaked in fruit juice. Oh, well, that was interesting. I think I might have arrived in time for the start of Worm. That meant that Taylor would be planning to go out over the weekend. I quickly shoved that thought to the side as I noticed that Taylor seemed to be having trouble seeing through her glasses since they were smeared with fruit juice. I reached into my bag and pulled out a packet of wipes.

"Here, try these," I said, "They'll clean your glasses better than whatever you used."

Taylor hesitated for a moment, before she shook her head and took off down the hall again. Well, that was pretty much what I expected.

"What was that all about?" I asked as I slipped the wipes back into my bag.

Greg scowled.

"You remember I told you about Hess' favorite target?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thats her. No one in school wants to get on those bitches bad side, so everyone either takes part or ignores it. She probably thought it was another prank."

I shot him a look.

"Hey, don't give me that look!" protested Greg, "Its not like I want to stay out of it! I tried to help, but I nearly ended up getting shanked!"

I winced. Ouch, that was certainly a good reason to keep your nose out in a school like Winslow...I really needed to do something about that bitch and the others while I was at it.

"So, what do you think that place was?" asked Greg as we headed out to find somewhere to eat.

"Not sure," I said, "Although I can safely say that, whatever it was wasn't reality."

"How so?"

"Because we just past the guy we found in the cage."

Greg blinked and glanced back. Sure enough, there was the E88 thug laughing with his friends about whatever racist morons laugh about.

"Then theres the fact that we passed Hess two minutes ago and she didn't try and gut us for locking her in a cage," I said.

"Huh...I didn't even notice," said Greg, "So what do you think, it was some Cape thing?"

"I doubt it," I said, "The ability to induce hallucinations on that level isn't a power that could go unnoticed for long. Besides, why would they target us? And why make the hallucination so bezar?"

"I...suppose you have a point there," he said, "Hey, do you think we could get back there?"

I pulled out my phone and brought up the app.

"Most likely," I said, "But I aint trying it now. Lets do it after school. Or better yet, wait till tomorrow."

"Alright," said Greg, "Man, I hope I can find something useful in there…"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I've been trying to nail the Bitch Trio with something for ages," said Greg, "But nothing I do ever sticks. If I can find something, anything, in that weird place, maybe I can finally put a stop to them."

I would have tried to dissuade him, but chances are that Greg was due to be my first teammate and this attempt would likely cause his Persona to manifest. I'd say Trigger, but Morgana seemed pretty sure that I wasn't a Cape. Hmm, maybe I ought to get that tested. I'd hate to be wrong in that assumption and end up having it screw me over…

* * *

After a tasty packed lunch and more conversation about Winslow and the city in general with my Cousin, we headed off to class. My first lesson was English where I received a half hearted introduction and some uncomfortably intense looks from the skinheads in the room. I really hope they don't try to recruit me. I'd rather not have to send morons to the hospital on my first day.

Introduction done, I was directed to take a seat and ended up next to a familiar red-head who I'm pretty sure by this point is Emma Barns.

Now, normally my first instinct when meeting someone I know for a fact is a nasty piece of work would be to ignore them, but something about Emma made me pause. I couldn't help but notice that she seemed...down. She wasn't smiling, in fact, she looked like she wanted to be sick. Or strangle someone. My first thought was that it might be Taylor, but that didn't really add up. Then, my mind went back to that morning and...oh. Oh, well, wasn't that an interesting revelation? Looks like Miss Barns isn't as much of a bitch as Taylor thought. That begged the question though, if she was unhappy, why was she still hanging out with Sophia? This bared investigation.

"What?"

I blinked. I hadn't realized I'd been staring at Emma and now she was glaring at me.

"Oh, sorry," I said, my cheeks reddening slightly, "Um, I'm Andrew…"

God that was weak. Emma snorted and looked away. Well, she certainly had an attitude if nothing else.

* * *

That night, after a long hard half day at school, I fell into bed and immediately found myself in the Velvet Room.

"Good evening Master," said Fortuna.

"Evening," I said, "So, what can I do for you this evening?"

"Ah, tonight we simply need to talk," said Igor, "Your powers have awakened and with them, you have taken the first step on the path to becoming a great Thief."

I narrowed my eyes. Something had just occurred to me.

"At the risk of being obliterated from existence, I have to ask," I said, "You are Igor, aren't you?"

Igor burst out laughing.

"Yes, I am the true Igor," he said, "Fear not, I am no hidden demon. That being has been destroyed by another Guest."

"I see," I said, "So, I only need to worry about beating Scion?"

"Indeed," said Fortuna, "Walk the path laid out before you and victory is assured."

I grimoused. I hate being manipulated.

"Oh, don't look like that," said Igor, "You'll be able to cause no end of chaos in the meantime."

My grimous immediately switched to a Joker grin.

"I can live with that," I said.

"Good," said Igor with a wide grin of his own, "Good luck in your endeavors."

My vision went black before I could respond.

* * *

The next day, after school, I met up with Greg outside of the school so we could 'try' and find the Hunting grounds.

"Alright, lets try and retrace our steps," said Greg.

"Actually, I don't think we need to do that," I said, pulling out my phone.

"Oh?"

I nodded and activated the Metaverse Navigator.

" **Plotting route,"** said the app, **"Sophia Hess...Winslow Academy...Hunter...Hunting Grounds. Beginning navigation."**

Then the world went weird. After some mind melting special twists that would make Vista gelous, the school was replaced by the wooden palisade that was Sophia's Palace.

"Hey, its that weird place again!" gasped Greg, "That means that yesterday was for real to...AH!"

He pointed at me.

"Your clothes!"

I looked down and, sure enough, I was in my Phantom Thief outfit.

"Ohhh, very nice," I said.

"That happened last time to," said Greg.

"You jelly?" I asked with a smirk.

Greg just glared at me.

"Arrgg, this makes no fucking sense!" he yelled, "Whats going on!?"

"HEY!"

We both turned to see Morgana emerging from around the corner.

"Stop making a commotion idiot!" hissed the cat.

"Its you!" gasped Greg.

"The Shadows started acting up, so I came to see what was going on," said Morgana, "To think, you'd come back here after barely managing to escape…"

"What is this place?" asked Greg, cutting of Morgana, "Is it the school?"

"Yes."

"But its a stockade!"

"It is the School, but only to its ruler," said Morgana.

"The Ruler?" asked Greg.

"I think you called her Sophia Hess?" asked the cat, "Its how her distorted Heart views the school.

"Distorted?" muttered Greg, "Arrgg, explain it in a way that makes sense!"

"Tch, I should have known a moron wouldn't get it," grumbled Morgana.

"Why you…!"

"AGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

We all jumped at the sudden scream.

"What was that?!" splutted Greg.

"It must be the slaves kept captive here," said Morgana.

"For real?" whispered Greg.

"So lets see if I have this right," I said, trying to get this hurried along, "This place is created by Sophia's fucked up mind, right?"

"Thats right," said Morgana.

"So then, the Slaves must be constructs as well?"

"Yes, thats exactly right," said Morgana, "The slaves are used as prey during the Hunts put on by the Shadows. Normally, its only one or two, but since you two got away, Hess has been going a little overboard. I think you must have really pissed her off."

"That bitch!" growled Greg.

"Greg?"

"This is bullshit!" he yelled and charged the door, "You hear that Hess!"

"Doing that won't get it to open you know," said Morgana.

"Hes just trying to let of some steam," I said.

"Hey Monamona," said Greg as he came back over.

"Its MORGANA!" snapped Morgana.

"Do you know where those screams are coming from?" asked Greg.

"You want me to take you to them?" asked the cat, sounding surprised.

"You know we can't save them, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I want to see if I can find something I can use to nail her in the real world," said Greg.

"I guess thats fair enough," said Morgana, "But only if he comes with us."

"Sure, could be fun," I said.

"Great, its settled then!" said Morgana.

"Thanks for this man," said Greg.

"Alright, lets do this!" said Morgana, "Follow me!"

* * *

He led us back to the way we escaped last time and, after explaining to Greg why barging in the front door was a horrible idea, we entered the Palace. We crossed the village square that served as the entrance, pausing when the area momentarily switched back to the school, before heading back down into the lower levels where the cages were kept. We had a few run ins with Shadows, but between Morgana and me, they didn't give us much trouble. Still, we avoided them wherever possible, leading us to duck into a safe room when Morgana heard a patrol coming down the hall.

"The Shadows probably won't come in here," said Morgana.

"How can you tell?" asked Greg.

"Because there's a lack of Distortion in here," said Morgana, "That means that the rulers control is weak here."

The world flickered, showing us what the room was in reality.

"Is...this a classroom?" asked Greg.

"Now do you get it?" asked Morgana, "This is another reality that the rulers heart projects."

"This is Hess' reality?" asked Greg, "Urrg, this makes no sense at all!"

"Makes sense to me," I said as I dropped onto a stool.

"Yeah well, your super smart," grumbled Greg.

"One could say its a world in which ones distorted desires have materialized," said Morgana, "I call such a place, a Palace."

"A...Palace?" muttered Greg.

"This place is like it is because she thinks of the school as her hunting grounds," said Morgana.

"So it became like this just because he thought of it?" asked Greg, "Thats...urrg, that fucking BITCH!"

"Man, you must really hate this Hess girl," said Morgana.

"The bitch nearly got me shanked!" snapped Greg.

"Point taken," said Morgana, "Still, don't let your emotions get the better of you. His lackeys are everywhere."

He turned to me.

"Your curious about your outfit, right?" he asked.

"I am to," said Greg, "What happened to it?"

"Thats also because of this reality," said Morgana, "Everything inside a Palace distorts in accordance to the owners desires. In order to prevent such Distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion. Your appearance is a manifestation of that. Its the image of rebellion that you hold within."

"Urg, this all makes no goddamn sense!" yelled Greg, "Besides which, I'm more curious about you! What are you anyway?!"

I turned out the resulting argument, although I was a tad curious as to where the little feline had come from. I'd find out at a later date though.

"If we're gonna move on, we should go now," said Morgana, bringing me back to reality, "And I'll be counting on you to rookie."

"Don't worry, I don't expect you to do everything," said Greg, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a modal gun, "I bought this. Its only a model though, so it just makes sounds."

"Thats a toy!" said Morgana.

"But it looks real, right?" said Greg, "It should at least work to freak them out."

"Thats...oh, forget it," grumbled Morgana, "Lets just get going!"

He hopped off the table and moved over to the door.

"There are some Hunters outside," he hissed, "Hmm...OH, they said that the Slaves have been moved to the...training field."

"Thats good to know," I said, "Can you lead us there?"

Morgana nodded.

"No problem, but we should be quick," he said.

I nodded and we got ready to move out.

 **And I think I'll end this one here. Next time, the rest of the first part and Greg gains his Persona! Oh, and for those disappointed that I won't be using OC Persona for all of the characters, don't worry, I fully intend to use all original ones for their Ultimate Persona later down the line.**

 **I honestly don't have much to say here, so I'll sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!**


	5. Hunter 104

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **And here we go with the next chapter of Hunter! Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Hunter 1.04

"You know, I haven't actually met Sophia yet, but I can safely say I already hate her," I grumbled as the last of the Shadow's we'd been fighting dissolved.

"Believe me, that won't change once you do meet her," said Greg, "What I want to know is how the hell a toy gun can fire real bullets?"

"This is a Cognitive world," said Morgana, "In other words, belief has more baring than reality. The Shadows see the gun as real so it acts like a real gun."

"I don't get it," said Greg.

"Heheh, that doesn't surprise me," said Morgana with a smirk, "What about you?"

"Sure, makes sense to me," I said.

"No, I mean I don't get why your slingshot hit with as much force as a bullet," said Greg.

"Oh...well, um...reasons?" said Morgana, "Anyway, that doesn't matter! Come on, we need to get going!"

He scurried off with us on his heels.

"Heh, that felt good," said Greg.

I just rolled my eyes as Morgana vaulted over a box, kicking a chunk of wood at Greg as he did.

* * *

It didn't take us long to reach the 'training grounds', which turned out to be what was basically a torture chamber. I think it was probably the Gym or possibly the running tracks, but whatever it was in the real world, it was currently inhabited by huge numbers of people being chased around by Shadows wielding blunt weapons. Anyone who was caught was beaten mercilessly.

"This is...sick," muttered Greg, looking rather green around the gills.

"Oh, you have no idea," I muttered.

I had moved a little further down and found a room that was, frankly, sickening. I drastically underestimated the contempt Sophia held for Taylor as she apparently got her own room where she was being ruthlessly tortured by a number of Hunters doing unspeakable things to her. As I watched, they finished their current torture, grabbed the projection by the legs, and flung her into what looked like a school locker that was full of brown sludge.

"Good lord," breathed Morgana, "I-I knew she was bad, but…"

He swallowed.

"Suddenly I'm very glad you got me out of that cage."

"You and me both little buddy," muttered Greg.

"So, you find anything useful?" I asked.

Greg scowled.

"No, nothing," he said, "I know for a fact she hasn't actually done anything to anyone here. Hell, I bet she hasn't even spoken to most of them…"

"Yeah, these mostly look like gang kids," I said, "And there a few older ones here to...hmm, I wonder where her sycophants are?"

"Further inside maybe?" suggested Morgana, "Anyway, if we're done here, we need to go, before we're caught!"

"Right, got it," said Greg, "Lets go."

We hurried out of the training fields area and headed back towards the exit, dodging a few more patrols as we went. Eventually, we arrived back in the entrance area and was about to make a break for our exit when multiple Hunters popped up around the room and blocked out path, both forwards and back.

"Aww shit, thats not good," I said lightly.

"Not the time cus," growled Greg.

" **Tch, you rodents again?"** sneered Shadow Sophia as she appeared from the crowd of lesser Shadows, **"I would have thought you'd learnt your lesson last time."**

Greg scowled and stepped forwards.

"The school isn't your hunting ground!" he said, "Your really sick, you know that? I'll be first to admit that the Gang kids need to be brought to heel, but what your doing here is…"

He was cut off as a crossbow bolt shot past his head.

" **Silence worm,"** sneered Shadow Sophia, " **Useless rodents like you don't get to talk to me like that!"**

"Useless!?" spluttered Greg.

" **Enough of this,"** said Shadow Sophia, **"I'm bored of you fools. Kill them."**

The Shadows chattered eagally and exploded, reforming into a trio of Dirty Two-horned Beasts.

"Damn, we're surrounded," muttered Morgana as me and the cat moved so we were back to back.

"This could be a problem," I said.

" **Lady Sophia demands your head!"** roared one of the Shadows as it charged me.

I jumped aside and grabbed it as it drove past, swinging onto its back and driving my knife into the back of its neck. The blade just skittered across its skin.

"Ah, shit."

The goat-like creature bucked, sending me flying over its head, before stomping on my chest with two hooves. Hard. I'm not sure if it was my coat or the fact we weren't in reality, but, much to my surprise and relief, he didn't crush my ribcage. It did knock the wind out of me and take me well and truly out of the fight though. A moment later, a dazed looking Morgana was dumped next to me.

" **Tch, pathetic,"** said Sophia as she planted a booted foot on the back of my head and forced it into the mud, **"And here I thought you might actually be interesting pray. Guess I overestimated you."**

"'Uk oo!" I slurred.

Shadow Sophia ignored me as she turned her attention back on the now very pale Greg as he fell to his knees.

" **Well, isn't this familiar?"** sneered the Shadow, **"You, on your knees like the failure you are. And this time you've even dragged others down with you!"**

Her sneer vanished for a true glare.

" **I warned you before that I would NOT tolerate any more interference,"** she said, **"This time, the consequences will be permanent."**

* * *

"No, not again," whispered Greg, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the demented copy of his greatest nemesis take a spear from one of her guards and point it at his cousin, "I...I've lost again…I can't do anything..."

" **Once these two are dealt with, your next,"** growled Sophia

"Damn it Greg, pull yourself together!" roared Andrew as he struggled, "THis thing aint over yet!"

Greg looked up, his eyes wide to see that his cousin was still fighting. The teen who knew very little about what was going on, who had met the girl Greg was trying to help for all of ten seconds was still fighting when he had given up. True, he was probably actually fighting for his life, but the fact remained that he was still fighting.

"Your right," muttered Greg, "I...I can't give up...If I do, this will all be for nothing!"

" **Keep your eyes open worm,"** sneered Sophia, **"Watch helplessly as these fools die because they sided with trash like you."**

"No…" said Greg as he pushed himself to his feet, "Thats what you are...all you think about is hurting people for no good reason! Your the real scumbag Hess!"

" **What was that?"** growled Hess, **"So, you still have some fight left?"**

Greg scowled and pointed at the crazy girl.

"Don't you dare look down on me with that fucking look on your face!" he yelled.

 **BA-BUM!**

"Hurk…"

Greg froze as what felt like an axe made of ice slammed into his head.

 _ **"You made me wait quite a while,"**_ said a vaguely amused sounding voice in his head as Greg keeled over, grasping his head as pure lightning roared through his body, _ **You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc...? The "other you" who exists within desires it thus...I am thou, thou art I...There is no turning back...The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!"**_

With that final word, the pain vanished and Greg felt a weight appear on his face as he pushed himself up.

" **Heh, what can you do?"** sneered the lead Hunter, a towering figure who looked less like a crazy wildman and more like an actual Human hunter, **"Cower in fear and watch!"**

He raised his knife and aimed it at Morgana as Greg got to his feet, his hands moving to his mask to try and pull it off. Trying hurt, as if it was part of his face, but he ignored the pain and kept pulling. Finally, with a mighty heave and a cry of pain, the mask came away in an explosion of blue energy and power that forced the Shadows back and away from his friends. Greg couldn't help the dark grin that crept across his face as he reveled in the electric power of his Persona.

" **Urg, not another one,"** sneered Hess.

"Heh, right on Persona!" said Greg with a wide grin, "This fuckin rocks!"

"Looking good Greg!" said Andrew as he stood, picking up his knife and taking a stance next to him alongside Morgana.

"Heh, thanks," said Greg, "Now that I've got this power, its time for some payback!"

He cracked his knuckles.

"Yo, I'm ready!" he said, "Bring it!"

" **Urrg, don't mock me you brat!"** snarled the lead Shadow, before exploding into red and black goo that quickly reformed into a demonic looking Knight on an equally demonic looking Knight.

Greg grinned.

"Lets go, **CAPTAIN KIDD!"**

* * *

I grinned as Gregs Persona opened fire with its cannon hand, sending what looked like balls of lightning at the Guard Captain. Getting hit like that had hurt, but now we had three Persona and a hell of a lot of aggression to work out. I darted forwards, using the cannonfire as cover as I snuck up on one of the Guard Captain.

" **You rodents have some nerve!"** snarled the Captain, **"To raise your hands against Lady Sophia is inexcusable!"**

"Heh, you wanna call me a rodent?" said Greg, "Fine, but you should probably remember one thing."

The Guard Captain looked like it was raising an eyebrow.

" **Oh? And whats that?"** it sneered.

"Rodents bite."

I took that as my cue and jumped at the Captain, driving my knife into a gap in his armour. He let out a howl of agony as his horse bucked. I used the movement to fling myself over his head as the Shadow lashed out with an armoured hand, missing my trailing coat tails by inches. At the same time, Morgana was busy blasting the Captains minions with powerful Wind spells, helped along by Greg's lightning knocking the Bicorns for six. I smirked and bounced at one of the two horned Shadows, my knife carving a deep gash into its throat, releasing a flood of blackish red blood. Morgana dealt with the other as Greg fired another lightning bolt at the Guard Captain, knocking its horse out and dumping it at our feet.

" **I-I am...one of Lady Sophia's Hunters,"** groaned the Shadow, **"S-so how...have I lost?"**

"Heh, this just proves that Hess isn't anything special," said Greg as he raised the length of pipe that had appeared with his new outfit with both hands, "See ya."

He brought the weapon down and the Shadow exploded like the rest of its brethren. Shadow dealt with, we all turned to glare at Shadow Sophia, who looked rather annoyed.

"So, how was that for a rodent?" asked Greg.

" **Tch, annoying,"** muttered the Shadow, **"I guess I need to do some house cleaning. If my men are so weak that they'd fall to you, clearly I overestimated them…"**

Suddenly, a loud growling sound filled the air as something shouldered its way through the doors behind the Shadow. I had to blink a few times before I realized what I was seeing. It looked like a bezaar combination of hunting dog and Human. Its coat was a familiar shade of red and its face was a smooth combination of Human features with a dogs muzzle. However, despite that, it was abundantly clear exactly who the creature was based on.

"Oh dear god…" breathed Greg, his eyes going wide, "Is that...Emma Barns?"

I could only nod slowly as I stared at the Chimera. Dear god, I knew that Sophia was seriously fucked up, but this...this was much worse than anything Kamoshida had up his sleeve! Beside me, Morgana swallowed, although whether that was because of the twisted creature or the fact it was part dog I'm not sure.

"Its like those slaves," he said, "A cognition...thats how she sees this...Emma Barns."

"Oh god...thats sick," muttered Greg.

"You've already said that," I said, "But I really think we should get out of here. That thing does NOT look friendly."

" **Right, I've had enough of this,"** growled Shadow Sophia, **"Deal with them."**

There was a burst of red and black ooze and a large group of Hunters appeared, bristling with weapons.

"Yep, definitely need to go," I said.

"We're just gonna run?!" spluttered Greg.

"Yes," I said, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him away as we sprinted for the doors.

"DAMNIT!" roared Greg, "WE'LL BE BACK YOU SICK FREAK! COUNT ON IT!"

The door slamming behind us cut of the Shadows response.

* * *

A few minutes later, we were back outside. After taking a few minutes to catch our breath, Greg finally noticed his change in outfit.

"Hey, I don't remember changing into this!" he said.

"Looks good on you," I said.

"Heh, thanks man," said Greg, "So, um, I don't entirely get whats going on…"

"I told you before," said Morgana, "This is what happens when a Persona user opposes the owner of a Palace and becomes a threat to them. It protects you from being affected by distortions."

"Or crushed by angry goats," I said, rubbing my chest.

"Is this...a skull?" asked Greg as he ran his hands over his mask.

"Your appearance reflects your inner self," said Morgana, "Its the rebel within. Not that you actually get it."

"Nope."

Morgana sighed.

"Then stop asking questions and accept what you see for what it is," he said.

"Easy for you to say," muttered Greg.

"Actually, I would have thought you'd be used to it," I said, "I mean, the Bay has a teleporting, immortal suicide bomber, a girl who can cross a freeway in a single step, a man who can turn into a dragon and a psychopath who can turn into a wolf made of blades. Being adaptable is a requirement for living around here...or insane."

"I know which you are," grumbled Greg, before his eyes suddenly widened in horror, "OH SHIT!"

"Be quiet!" hissed Morgana, "Their still looking for us!"

Greg ignored him.

"We might have got away here, but we're still in deep shit with Sophia at school!" he said, "She won't think twice about shutting us up as soon as she can get away with it!"

"Thats quite sharp of you…for being an idiot," said Morgana.

"What was that?!"

"Relax," said Morgana, ignoring Gregs outburst, "The Sophia in reality can't possibly know what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed, a side of ones personality that they don't want to see."

"In terms of psychology, it'd be the Id," I said, "The part of the mind thats pure instinct with no restraint."

"Thats...not quite how it works, but not a bad analogy," said Morgana.

"So...we're OK?" asked Greg.

"Did the Sophia in reality remember about the Hunt?" asked Morgana.

"We didn't exactly talk with her," I said, "But she didn't look twice at us when we walked past her."

"There you go then," said Morgana.

"Alright, in that case we just need to…" said Greg.

"Wait, I helped you guys out, now its your turn," said Morgana.

"Eh?"

"Why do you think I was being so nice teaching you morons this stuff?" asked Morgana.

"You want our help with something?" I asked, "What?"

"I originally came here for an investigation, remember?" asked Morgana, "I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form! Thats why we need to dive deep into Mementos and…"

"Whoa, hold up!" said Greg, "What are you going on and on about? We never said anything about helping you!"

"Calm down Greg, I doubt it'll be anything bad," I said, "Besides, it could be fun."

"You are insane," growled my cousin.

"That said, we really should get going," I said, "I think its nearly time for us to head back home. See ya later kitty!"

I patted Morgana on the head, before sprinting for the exit with Greg on my heels and Morgana's yells of fury echoing in my ears.

 **And done, finally! Good god, this chapter fought me and having an insanely long day at work on Sunday certainly didn't help matters! But its done now and we can finally move the plot along a little. I've also done some modifications to my plan and I think I've got a decent idea of how things will go for a while.**

 **Sooo...Sophia's pretty much gone from being slightly worse than Kamoshida to completely fucking insane. In all seriousness though, I honestly don't think I'm exaggerating all that much when you consider that this is all basically a manifestation of her subconscious. As for the Emma Chimera...well, I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do with her, but I recently started watching Fullmetal Alchemist again and, well, NINAAAAAA! Ahem… Yeah, now I feel guilty…**

 **Anyway, now its time for me to sign out. Next time, the heist begins! Well, after Andrew has a heart to heart with Emma and we find out exactly whats going on with her and Sophia. Should be fun. Until then, don't forget to leave a review!**


	6. Hunter 105

Outsider Chronicles: Brockton's Phantom Thieves

Most of the time, the focus of a Worm story is a hero screwing over the villains. Or a villain being even worse and winning that way. Me? I'm just a Phantom Thief. Even so, I'll save this city, one stolen heart at a time!

 **And here we go with the next chapter of Hunter! Should be fun. Enjoy!**

Hunter 1.05

"So, what exactly do we do now?" asked Greg once we were back in reality.

I shrugged.

"Hell if I know," I said, "But I suspect we should be heading home."

"Thats not what I meant," said Greg, "I meant what are we going to do about Sophia? You saw what that place was like! Shes a nut and I have a horrible feeling that shes going to end up killing someone eventually."

"I suspect we're gonna have to ask Morgana about that," I said, "I don't think it'll be possible to do much in reality."

Greg groaned.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," he muttered, "Still, if it'll help get her to stop, I'm in."

He grinned at me.

"Thanks for all the help cus," he said.

I grinned back.

"Course, its only natural that I help out my family, right?" I said.

Greg laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. As he did, I felt something deep inside me snap into place.

 **I am Thou, Thou art I…  
** **You have acquired a new vow.**

 **I shall become the blade of light  
** **That severs the bonds of the Dark Future.**

 **With the Birth of the Chariot Persona,  
** **I have obtained the winds of blessing that  
** **will lead to Freedom and new powers.**

I blinked. Well, that was certainly interesting. Although I suppose I shouldn't be totally shocked. I have a feeling that I'm going to need these bonds in the future.

"Anyway, we can worry about that later," said Greg, "Come on, lets go get something to eat. I know a great noodle place nearby."

I smiled and nodded.

"Sure, sounds good," I said and followed my Cousin away from the school.

* * *

That night, I once again found myself in the Velvet Room.

"Welcome back my boy," said Igor as I opened my eyes, "I must say, I am very impressed. You have already taken the first steps necessary to gain the power required to defeat your foe."

"My bond with Greg you mean?" I said.

"Exactly," said Fortuna, "Hopefully, this will be the first of many comrades you will encounter who will aid you in the future."

"Your Confidence will increase the strength of your Heart," said Igor, "The Chariot is merely the start, yet every journey begins with but a single step. You have a long road ahead of you my boy. Hopefully this will allow you an easier journey."

His smile widened as I felt another bond snap into place.

 **I am Thou, Thou art I…  
** **You have acquired a new vow.**

 **I shall become the blade of light  
** **That severs the bonds of the Dark Future.**

 **With the Birth of the Fool Persona,  
** **I have obtained the winds of blessing that  
** **will lead to Freedom and new powers.**

"Use the knowledge gained from this bond to increase your power," said Igor, "I look forwards to seeing what you will do with it."

The world faded as I slipped off to sleep.

* * *

The next day was Saturday and, despite Gregs apparent interest in trying to find a way to deal with Sophia now that he knew just how bad she was, that had to be postponed. Why? Because my Aunt decided that it was a good idea to give me a tour of the city. Not a bad idea in all honesty as it gave me a chance to find out where everything was and where to avoid if I didn't feel like getting jumped by drugged up morons, Nazi's or the minons of a giant rage dragon. On the other hand, I could probably take most non-powered Gang members in a fight. What? You don't actually think that I wouldn't do everything I could to make sure I could defend myself knowing what I do about this world?

I wasn't a master by any stretch of the word, but I'd managed to convince my Dad, who was ex-Military and currently worked for the PRT, to teach me how to defend myself. As a result, I was more than capable of defending myself against even armed opponents. He also taught me the basics of knife fighting, which I think might have been added to by whatever it was that allowed me to fight effectively with my knife in the Palace.

Sunday was also spent doing much the same, mainly because Greg had been lassoed into helping his Dad in the cafe and, since I was bored, I decided I'd do the same. I ended up being taught how to make a proper cup of coffee, which was fun. Plus, it gave me a chance to bond with my Uncle.

* * *

The school day on Monday started mostly as normal. A quick check of the PHO forums revealed that Lung had been taken into custody by Armsmaster. Guess I was right and Taylor had been out for her first night on the town. Good for her.

I'd organized to meet with Greg in a small courtyard that served to connect the main school with the PE facilities at lunch so, after my first two lessons, I made a beeline for said courtyard. I had not gone far from my classroom when someone came pelting past me at a pretty fast clip. Still, that didn't stop me from spotting the tears running down her cheeks. I turned and looked back where she'd come from to see a rather large gaggle of girls all pointing and laughing after the retreating Taylor. However, I was much more interested in the expression on Emmas face. It looked like she was trying not to cry. Or be sick. Not sure which. Hmm, interesting…

I turned away before anyone could notice me looking and continued on my way, deep in thought.

* * *

Greg was already there when I arrived and glanced up as I approached.

"Hey cus," said Greg, "Whats got you looking so thoughtful?"

"Emma Barns," I said.

Greg blinked.

"What about her?"

"What do you know about her?" I asked.

Greg snorted.

"That shes one of Hess' main bitches," said Greg, "But I think you already knew that after that...thing we saw the other day. Why?"

I quickly told him about what I'd seen.

"Huh, thats...odd," he said, "I've never noticed her showing any kind of restrant when it comes to Taylor. Although…"

He looked thoughtful.

"Since the Locker incident, she HAS been less harsh most of the time," he said, "Hasn't stopped her from making Taylor cry though."

He sighed.

"Alright, enough about Barns," he said, "I'm more interested about what we're gonna do about Hess. Sereously, I've been thinking about it all weekend, but I can't come up with anything that we can do. No one will believe us if we try to go to the teachers, the bitches will just back each other up, and theres no way we'd get away with trying to attack her directly..."

I shrugged.

"We could always go after her in her Hunting Grounds," I said.

"You mean the Sophia in that weird world?" asked Greg, "Its worth a shot I suppose, but would it even…"

"I've finally found you!"

We both jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see a black cat emerge from behind some bushes.

"Did you say something?" asked Greg as the cat hopped up on the table.

"Nope, he did," I said.

"The cat?" scoffed Greg, "Damn, I knew you were…"

"Don't think you can get away with not paying me back," said Morgana, making Greg jump.

"Told you," I said with a smirk.

"That voice...is that you Morgana?" asked Greg, his eyes wide.

"How dare you up and leave me the other day!" said Morgana, ignoring Gregs question.

"T-the cats talking?!" spluttered my cousin, now looking completely stumped.

"I am NOT a cat!" snapped Morgana, "This is just what happened when I came to this world! Do you know how hard it was to find you two in this stinking mess of a city?!"

"You came to our world?!" gasped Greg, "Does that mean you have a phone?!"

"And you call me crazy," I said.

"Shut it!"

"You don't need one when your at my level," said Morgana, cleaning his paw, "I did get pretty lost making my escape though…"

"More to the point, how can you talk?!" demanded Greg, "You're a cat!"

"I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the Wards have a kid who can freeze time by touching something," I said, "Compared with that, whats a talking cat?"

"Hes got a point there," said Morgana, "Although I don't have anything to do with any Parahuman."

"I...guess I can't really argue with that," grumbled Greg, "So what are you doing here anyway?"

"Wellll, I have a few ideas that might be mutually beneficial for us," said the cat.

"Oh?"

"You two want to do something about that Hess girl, right?" asked Morgana with a sly smile, "I might be able to help with that."

"Oh, how so?" I asked.

"You were actually pretty close Andrew," said Morgana.

"Tch, that condescending attitude, this things definitely Morgana," said Greg.

"You were still doubting me?!" yelled Morgana.

"Hey, keep it down!" hissed Greg.

We glanced around warily as a pair of teachers walked past.

"Hey, did you just here a cat?" asked one.

"Nah, I didn't hear anything," said the other.

"Wait, what?" asked Greg as the teachers disappeared, "Does that mean we're the only ones who can understand you?"

"Guess so," said Morgana cheerfully.

"You know what, I don't care any more," said Greg, "Tell us more."

"Um, is this really the best place?" I asked.

"Maybe not," said Greg, before grabbing Morgana by the scruff, "Here, put it in your bag."

"Hey! How dare you treat me like...GLUMPH!" yelled Morgana, before he was shoved into my messenger bag.

"Right, this way," said Greg as he jogged off.

I followed him, unable to hide a smirk at the loud string of muffled obscenities emerging from my bag. It didn't take long to reach the roof where we let out a very disgruntled looking Morgana.

"Hey, don't be so rough with me!" he yelled.

"Aw cram it," said Greg, "You said you knew how we could do something about Hess, right?"

"It has to do with what Andrew was talking about earlier," said Morgana, "You'll need to attack her Hunting Grounds."

"What do you mean?" asked Greg.

"That Hunting Ground is how Hess views this school," said Morgana, "She doesn't realize whats happening in there, but its deeply connected to the depths of her heart."

"So if something happens to it, it'll affect Hess in the real world," I said.

"Exactly."

"What would happen?" asked Greg.

"A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires," said Morgana, "So, if the Hunting Grounds were no more…"

"The desires would go with it," I said.

"Precisely," said Morgana.

"For real?!" gasped Greg, "So she'd turn good?!"

He frowned.

"But...is that really getting back at her?"

"Think about it," I said, "What if one day you suddenly realized that everything you'd ever done was wrong? It would seriously mess you up, especially if you were anything like Hess. Every cruel deed, every hurtful word shes ever said, suddenly made clear and with a sudden understanding of exactly why it hurt her target...she'd probably be out for the count for a good long while."

"Exactly," said Morgana, "The desires will be gone, but the crimes remain. She'd be unable to bare the weight of them and would likely confess them all herself."

"For real?!" gasped Greg, "Thats...amazing!"

"And since the Palace will no longer exist, she'll forget what we did there as well," said Morgana smugly, "Not only will we bring her down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement."

"Thats amazing!" said Greg, "You are one incredible cat!"

"True," said Morgana, "Except for the cat part!"

"So, how do we do this?" asked Greg.

"We steal the Treasure at the heart of the Palace," said Morgana.  
"Steal?"

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go along with my super secret plan," said Morgana, "If you want to help out, I'll gladly teach you. Whats your call?"

"Sounds good to me," I said, "I was getting bored anyway."

"Eesh, your one weird guy," muttered Greg, "But I agree. We have to do something before someone gets seriously hurt. Well, even more so."

"Great," said Morgana, "Oh, before I forget, theres one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, theres no doubt that the persons distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are something we all need to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love, all those sorts of things."

"What are you getting at?" asked Greg.

"If all of those things vanish, they'd be no different from someone who has shut down entirely," said Morgana, "They might even die if not given proper care…"

"Die?!" spluttered Greg.

"Will you listen to everything I have to say first?" grumbled Morgana.

"Would their death be our fault?" asked Greg, looking rather pale.

"Most likely, yes," I said, "However, for someone to have a Palace, I'm pretty sure that it would require a seriously distorted mental state. In that situation, chances are that they've committed some pretty nasty crimes. In the case of Sophia, I have little problem with having her death on my conscious. Some of the things I've heard about her and you've told me have made it pretty clear that she can't be left as is."

Morgana and Greg stared at me.

"Dude, thats pretty dark," he said.

"Believe me, I take no pleasure in the idea of someone dying," I said, "However, sometimes the only way forwards is to put down a rabid dog before it bites anyone."

"But still…"

"Urg, I come all this way and this is the response I get?" grumbled Morgana, "Its not like anyone will ever find out!"

"Thats not the point!" yelled Greg.

"Isn't this your only option?" asked Morgana, "Look, I'll come back later. Make sure you have your answer by then."

"Urg, this sucks," muttered Greg as Morgana trotted away.

"Any idea of what you want to do?" I asked.

"I...don't know," said Greg, "I want do do something about her, but killing her...I don't know. I...need to thing about this. See you later."

He vanished down the stairs. I sighed. Well, I guess that things will be moving along as they wish. Still, I'd like to deal with Shadow Stalker before some of the shit hit the fan…

 **Right, thats done. Well, that was a lot more than I was expecting...guess that'll teach me to promise things...again. I really need to learn not to do that.**

 **Anyway, I think it would be a good idea to mention at this point that I might have messed up my timeline. I didn't realize that certain events in Worm were so damn close together. As a result, I'll be making some alterations, mostly involving pushing things apart a little to give me room for what I have in mind. It shouldn't change too much though. Hey, this is Fanfiction after all!**

 **I don't think I have anything else to address here, so I'll sign out. Without making any promises I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep. Don't forget to leave a review!**


End file.
